Cloth-finishing machine.



R. T. TODD & R. B. BATTY.

CLOTH FINISHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEO.20,1909.

Patented 0013.4, 1910.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

R. T. TODD & R. B. BATTY.

CLOTH FINISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 20, 1909.

Patented Oct. 4, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ii a a owamx dim/1 ROBERT T. TODD, OF LAWRENCE, AND RICHARD IBATTY, OF METHUEN,

MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTH-FINISHING- MACHINE.

Original application filed August 2, 1909, Serial No. 510,756.

20, 1909. Serial No. 534,118.

To all whom it may concern:

Be'it known that we, ROBERT T. Tool) and RICHARD B. BATTY, both citizens of the United States, said ROBERT T. TODD residing at Lawrence and said RICHARD B. BATTY residing at Methuen, both in-the county of Essex and State of 'Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth Finishing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to machines for finishing cloth or other fabric made of wool fibers or of mixtures of wool and other fibers such as what is known as woolen or worsted cloth. Its purpose is to straighten out the weave and to even up the design, to smooth out the cockles and wrinkles, and to set it, and especially to prepare it for dyeing.

This application is a division of an application for patent on finishing processes, on which we received a patent May 3, 1910, Number 956,550;

Our machine combines the processes known as crabbing and steaming. With our machines, the process of crabbing and steaming is continuous and when the fabric leaves the machine, it is ready for the subsequent process such as dyeing. By our machines,

we set the goods after shrinking and give them a luster and permanent face finish which makes them smooth and kind to the feel. Every part of the cloth is treated eX- actly alike from the center to the selvage and from one end of the piece to the other. By our device, two 'men can perform as much work as eight by the old process, and the work is more quickly done and the goods are in better condition for dyeing. Our machine prevents water marks and laying marks. It will also take out washer wrinkles better than any other machine and will not affect the color. By changing the number of rolls or sets of rolls, our machine can be arranged for differentv fabrics and by in creasingor decreasing the flow of cold water in the cooling tank, variations in the tem perature of the water and air can be counteracted. i,

In our machine, we take the dry cloth as it comes from the loom or other machine and pass it continuously under a, slight tension through a series of. tanksv of boiling hot water and between these tanks we pass it over and between rolls under pressure. These rollsare arranged in series preferably Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented @011. 4, 1910.

Divided and this application filed December over each tank and comprise a perforated hollow roll through which live steam is delivered and one or more smoothing rolls. The cloth while still wet and hot passes over and between these rolls and passes from the last of the series into a tank of cool or cold water still under some tension' and thence is delivered in condition ready for a subsequent process such as dyeing. We use as many tanks with cooperating .rolls and we use as many rolls in each series as may be desirable for the particular cloth to be treated. From the cooling tank it is desirable to deliver the cloth through any suitable folding means which will fold it evenly and smoothly onto a truck or box or other suitable receptacle. While passing through our machine, the cloth is kept under a greater or less tension. As soon as it leaves our machine, the cloth is ready foruse im- -mediately and the process of crabbing and steaming is combined and made continuous.

Our invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 shows a preferred form of machine, the driving mechanism, pipes and other parts being broken away and certain parts being shown in section the better to show their construction and operation. Fig. 2 shows a difl'erent machine in which one steam roll and one smoothing roll are used. Fig. 3 is a front view of the construction shown in Fig. 1.

The cloth A to be treated is usually delivered folded in a box wheeled truck B at the feed end. v

0 represents the floor on which our machine or apparatus rests.

E, E, E, E represent the hot water tanks and F represents the cold water tank. Inthe construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3, we support in suitable bearings above each tank E, a smooth roll .Gr which preferably passes below the waterline therein. These hot water tanks E are fed continuously boiling hot water through suitable pipes 10 and this water is carried away by suitable drain pipes 11. These drain pipes '11 leave the tanks at the height which it is desired'that the hot water should maintain. In this .case,. the drain pipe 11 leaves the tank at a level above the lower part of roll G. We prefer to pass also along the bottom of each hot water tank, a steam heating pipe 12 which. is perforated and delivers live steam under suficient pressure into the water of the tank. This steam keep it under tension. From this cold water heating pipe insures that the Water will be i kept close to the boiling point all the time.

lVe prefer to drive all the lower rolls G, G, through the shafts 20 to which they are fixed, by means of bevel gears 21. These bevel gears 21 mesh with other bevel gears 22 carried by a driving shaft 23. This driving shaft 23 may be driven from any source of power in any usual manner as by the belt 24 and pulley 25. In Figs. 1 and 3, this pulley 25 is shown as carried by the end of shaft 20 of one of the lower smoothing rolls G and the power is transmitted through this to the other rolls Gr through bevel gears 21 and 22 and shafts 23 and 20.

The lower rolls G must be smooth on their curved surfaces and rest in fixed bearings.

tact with the cloth. We prefer to cover these steam rolls with burlap or other loosely woven textile material 4d whereby the steam will be thoroughly distributed. To allow for any slight shrinking of the cloth as it passes from the feed end to the delivery end, we prefer to wind each successive steam roll with one less winding of burlap than the preceding roll. These rolls preferably rest in bearings 33 slidable vertically on ways 34 and are driven frictionally by contact with the cloth and with the lower driven rolls G. We also provide an upper smooth roll K, which rests in slidable bearings 35 in ways 34: and is frictionally driven by the steam roll. This roll should be quite heavy. In each of the hot water tanks, we provide a loose lower tank roll 40 near the bottom .thereof to guide the cloth in its passage brackets 14. From thence it passes over a brass bar 15 which is preferably attached to the top of the first tank E. From the last pressure roll of the hot tank system, we pass the cloth down into a cold water tank F. This tank is fed continually with cold water or cool water throu h pipe 16 and the ex:

cess is carried away. y a drain pipe 17 in-a similar manner to the hot water tanks.

We place a loose guide roll 42 at the bottom of this tank to guide the cloth therein and to tank, the cloth is conducted by delivery rolls and 71 to a folder M of any well known construction. By this folder, it is folded into the delivery truck L.

Instead of three rolls for each hot tank, we may use two rolls as shown in Fig. 2. In such case, the drain pipes 50 from the hot water tanks 51 are placed lower down, so that the water level. therein will be below the steam roll 52. This steam roll 52 is of the same construction as H, but is driven through one of its hollow shafts 53 by a sysem of bevel gears 54, 55 and a shaft 56 similar to the first described construction. This steam roll 52 should not touch the boiling water. The guide rolls 57 and 58 in the hot water tanks are located somewhat differently so as to direct the cloth over the steam roll 52 in the proper direction as shown. The pressure roll 60 rests in bear ings 61 vertically slidable in ways 62 and is driven frictionally by the steam roll. We may use adjusting or pressure screws 63 which bear on bearings 61 by which we can increase .or decrease the pressure between the rolls 60 and 52. The cold water tank 64 and roll 65, water inlet 66, and outlet 67 are the same as in the construction shown in Fig. 1. The hot water inlet 68 is also the same as 10 and the perforated steam heater pipe 72 is the same as 12. Feed truck B,

bars 13 and 15 and delivery truck L are also the same as in Fig. 1. The cloth may be delivered however by driven delivery rolls 7 0 and 71 instead of by folding means M, and merely drops therefrom in natural folds into delivery truck L.

By the use of our machines, kinks and folds, wrinkles, etc., are taken out and ,the cloth is shrunk and set so that when it is delivered, it is immediately ready for dyeing. The upper rolls rest preferably in vertically slid-able bearings and are made heavy so that the cloth will be under pressure and under tension as it passes over the steam roll. It is not necessary to drive any of the sets of rolls except the bottom one by means of gears, belts, etc., as the cloth in setting produces a tension upon itself and assists in the frictional driving. Any other system of driving may be used and tanks of any other shape may be used.

The main feature of our machine is the passing of the cloth under some tension through boiling water, thence between a per-' forated hollow steam roll and one or more pressure rolls, repeating this a number of times and finally passing it through cold water to cool it, and thence delivering it without wrinkling.

What We claim as our invention and desire to cover by Letters Patent is 1. Ina cloth finishing machine, the combination of a plurality'of hot water tanks each of which is provided with a hot water inlet and .an outlet, and with guide rolls, a plurality of sets of smoothing rolls, each set adjoining a tank and comprising a hollow perforated steam roll and one or more smooth pressure rolls, a steam inlet for the steam ro l, and means for driving said rolls, with a delivery tank, provided with a guide roll, a cold water inlet and an outlet, and

folding delivery means as described.

. 3. In a cloth finishing machine, the combination of one or more adjoining tanks each of which is provided with a hot water inlet and; an outlet together with a live steam inlet pi e and with guide rolls, .with a set of smoot ing rolls over each tank comprising two smooth rolls and a hollowperforated steam roll between them, a steam inlet for the steam roll, and means for driving said rolls, and a delivery tank provided with a guide roll, a. cold water inlet and an outlet for said delivery tank, and means for delivering and folding the cloth as described.

4. In a cloth finishing machine, the combination of a each of "which is provided with a hot water inlet and an outlet and with guide rolls below the hot water outlet, with a plurality of hollow perforated steam rolls one of which is held in bearings over each tank higher than the outlet thereof, a steam inlet for each of said steam rolls, and means for drivin said steam rolls, together with a pluralit of very heavy pressure rolls one of whic rests in vertical hearings on each steam roll, and a delivery tank provided plurality of adjoining tanks with a guide roll, a cold water inlet and an outlet, as described.

5. In a cloth finishing machine, the combination of a plurality of adjoining tanks each of which 18 provided with a hot water inlet and an outlet and with guide rolls below the hot water outlet, with a plurality of hollow perforated steam rolls one of.

which is held in bearings over"each tank .higher than the outlet thereof, and each of which is wound with loose Woven cloth, a

steam inlet for each of said steam'rolls, and means for drlving said steam rolls, together wlth a plurahty of veryheavy pressure rolls one of which rests in vertical hearings on each steam roll, and a delivery tank provided with a guide roll, a cold water inlet and an outlet, as described.

6. In a cloth finishing machine the com bination of a series of adjoining tanks each of which is provided with a hot water inlet and an outlet and with guide rolls below the hot water outlet, with a series of hollow perforated steam rolls one of which is held in bearings over each tank higher than the outlet ther of and each of which is Wound a plurality of times with loose woven cloth the number of windings decreasing on each roll from first to last, a steam inlet for each of said steam rolls, and means for driving said steam rolls, together with a plurality of very heavy pressure rolls one of which rests in vertical hearings on each steam roll, and a delivery tank following the last of the other tanks and provided wlth a submerged guide roll together with a cold water inlet and an outlet, as described.

In testimony whereof we, hereto atfix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT T. TODD. RICHARD B. BATTY. Witnesses:

Lnwxs H. SCHWARTZ, GARDNER W. PEARSON. 

